The already announced Increase in grid fees by 10 percent is now expected following the Constitutional Court ruling of November 15, 2023 and the subsequent agreement of the departmental ministers on the 2024 federal budget. significantly higher. The reason for this is the planned Cancellation of subsidies for the transmission system operators (TSOs). This will result in increase the cumulative grid fees by around 60 percent in 2024.
Regional distribution system operators (DSOs) increase amounts by up to 19 %
At the beginning of November 2023, in response to a small question from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs stated that grid fees would increase by an average of between 10 and 11 percent in 2024. The rate of increase forecast at the time still assumed that the subsidized grid fee for the transmission system operators. This calculation was based on an announced increase of the DSOs for 2024 between 15 and 19 percent.
Doubling of the TSO grid fees in 2024
However, due to a budget reorganization, the previously promised Grant of 5.5 billion euros from the economic stabilization fund to support grid fees deleted. The TSOs 50Hertz, Amprion, Tennet and Transnet BW have therefore announced an increase in transmission grid fees for next year. On average, they will now to 6.43 cents per kilowatt hour more than double. In 2023, they were still at 3.12 cents per kilowatt hour due to the subsidy.
In contrast to the very different regional grid fees charged by the DSOs, the prices for the transmission of electricity by the TSOs are uniform nationwide. The calculation is based on the cost basis defined by the Federal Network Agency (revenue cap/EOG), taking into account statutory and regulatory adjustments and the expected sales volumes for 2024.
Total grid fees to rise by up to 60 percent in 2024
To the Increase in VNBs from an average of 17 % now comes the Increase in TSOs of around 100 percent in 2024 is added. According to CUBE CONCEPTS' calculations, this means that, based on the usual distribution key of 55 to 45, the accumulated grid charges at least for private households in the coming year by just under will increase by 60 percent. Energy-intensive companies, which usually conclude highly individualized electricity supply contracts, will also feel the impact of the increase in overall grid fees. The costs for this are usually passed on directly 1:1 in the electricity bills.
For companies it is expected that the grid fees for electricity transmission and distribution nationwide increase by 30 percent. While the average capacity price in 2023 was EUR 133.00/kW across Germany, it is now around EUR 173.00/kW. The increases vary enormously from region to region. Experts expect power prices in Thuringia, North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate to rise by over 40 percent. Getec net GmbH, for example, is increasing its prices from an average of EUR 143.43/kW to EUR 228.77/kW. This corresponds to an increase of around 60 percent. TEN Thüringer Energienetze GmbH & Co. KG follows with an increase of 50 percent, from 139.76 EUR/kW to 209.12 EUR/kW. EGT Energie GmbH is increasing its prices by around 30 percent, from EUR 175.71/kW to EUR 229.39/kW. Only in the northern federal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein are price adjustments just below the 10 percent mark.